"The European Football Championship, held every 4 years, is the most important event for football in Europe and UEFA, which has been delighting fans since 1960. Until 1976 only the 4 best teams took part in the championship, which grew to 8 in 1980, and 16 in 1996, and is likely to be expanded to 24 in 2016. The qualifying rounds for the 2008 championship started in August 2006. 50 teams in 7 groups competed to get through to the finals. The 16 countries vying for the title of champions are Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. The stamp features a part of a football pitch, the corner arc at the junction of the goal- and touchlines decorated with the yellow corner flag, and the national flags of the two host countries."